I think what you’re running into is best described as vestigial holes and cutouts. The new gasket has a hole there because newer 18s, 20s, and 25s of the 22-cube series had a bleeder hose that fed off a nub on the intake manifold. It ran around to the side to a nub on one of the port covers. If your earlier motor doesn’t have the nub on the intake cover then the hole in the gasket and reed plate lead nowhere and there is no issue.
